84 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



tail feathers black edged with green ; below paler, the 

 thioiit and breast ashy; middle of abdomen l)uflfiEh 

 white, the flanks greenish. Habitat, Venezuela and 

 N. Colombia. 



Here, again, I am unable to get any )nt')rmation 

 respecting the wild life. Captain I'ani presented five 

 specimens <if tJiis pretty Calli-'ile to the London Zoo- 

 logical Gnrdens in 1906. 



VVniTK-c.-vpi-ED T.tNAGER (Stephanophorus 

 leucorcphalus). 



Above deep blue, brighter on sides of head, lesser 

 wing-coverts and rump; flights and tail-feathers black 

 with bluish edges; forehead, lores, and chin black; 

 centre of crown crimson, behind which the crown is 

 white to nape; bill brownish black; feet brown; irides 

 blown. Femafe slightly duller. Habitat. Southern 

 I'.razil, Paraguiy, Uruguay, and Northern Argentina. 



Mr. Hudson remarks (" Birds of Argentine Republic," 

 Vol. 1, p. 38) : — "It is a summer bird in Buenos Ayres, 

 where it makes its appearance in spring in the woods 

 bordering on the Plata river, and is usually seen singly 

 or in pairs. The nest is built in a tree ten or twelve 

 feet from the ground, and is somewhat shallow, and 

 lined with soft, dry grass. The female lays four eggs, 

 white, and spotted with deep red. During incubation 

 the male sits concealed in the thick foliage close by, 

 amusing itself by the hour with singing, its performance 

 consisting of chattering disconnected nctas uttered in 

 so low a tone as to make one fancy ih&i the bi:d is 

 merely trying to recall some melody it has forgotten, 

 or endeavouring to construct a new ore liy jerking out 

 a variety of sounds at random. The bird never gets 

 beyond this unsatisfactory sUige, however, and must 

 be admired for its exquisite beauty alone." 



The Zoological Society of I>ondon purchased a speci- 

 men of this species in July, 1884, which was alive in 

 1903, and although Dr. Rups only mentions it as a 

 Cnr.cothramli's ; most frequenters of British bird shows 

 will remember Mr. Swan's tine si>ecimen, first ex- 

 hibited at the CVystal Palace, I believe, in 1902. In 

 subsequent shows it was one of the birds one looked for 

 and commented upon its condition. It is quite likely 

 that other specimens ma.y have been imported among 

 the numerous consignments of birds from the Argentine 

 Republic. 



The species of Tanngra are almost-, if not quite, as 

 bcnutiful .IS tho.=e of (he genus f'ldUxIr, and I .should 

 judge them to be hardier." They should lie fed in the 

 same manner. 



>SiLVp;R-nLUK T.\NAGER (Tnnngra rana). 



Pale blui'sh-a.=h, deeper on the baek, bluer on the 

 rump and Kometinies on the breast; wings and tail 

 blackish, edged with gi-eenish-blue ; the upper wing- 

 coverts glittering blue; bill dirk horn colour; feet 

 black. Female similar; iirobably duller. Habitat, 

 Southern Mexico, through Central .\merica to Columbia, 

 Venezuela. Ecuador, and North Peru. 



Salmon says (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1879, p. 500) that this 

 bird builds in orange trees ; the eggs are rich brown, 

 densely blotche<l with darker f])ots, especially at the 

 larger end. 



Mr. W. Goodfellow (TJir 7hh. 1901. p. 466) Nays: — 

 " Common in the hot forest regions of Western Ecua- 

 dor, at S.anto Domingo, Guanacillo, and other places, 

 where they frequent the banana plantations and the 

 fruit-trees around the huts. Specimens from the foot of 

 the hills swm to be less blu" than those from farther 

 down into the forests. Local name, " Azulejo." This 

 species is mentioned by Russ as rare in the tr.tde. but 

 it has been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. 



Rues mentions T. episcojmn as having once been 

 imported, but he i-ays it was in draggled plumage; I 

 think therefore it may liave been wrongly identified. 



Blue-shouldebkd T.\n.\ger [Tanagra cyanoptera). 



AlK>ve bluish-grey tinged with green ; wings and tail 

 blackish, edged W'ith greenish-blue; lesser wing-coverts 

 shining blue ; below paler, especially in the centre of 

 abdomen ; bill deep leaden ; feet brown. Female rather 

 duller, the lesser wing-coverts greener. Habitat, 

 Soutbeni Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. 



Accoixling to Burnieister, who, judging by Dr. Sclater's 

 synonymy, ci>nfounded tliis si)ecies with T . fat/a-ca (as 

 he admits that he aJso did in the " Catalogue of Birds "), 

 this Tanager " lives in the tops of palms, and feeds 

 upon fleshy berries and soft iu.sects. It comes much 

 into the ncighbourhucd of the settlements and is not 

 rare there, particularly in gardens where there are 

 palms." 



This species also has been exhibited at the Ix>ndon 

 Gardei's, and has been imported both into Italy and 

 England, the Contessa Baldelli and the Rev. B. Hems- 

 worth having both owned specimens. 



Sataca Tanager {Tanagra saijnca). 



Above blui.sh-grey ; wings and tail blackish, edged 

 with gi-eenLsh-blue ; lesser wing-coverts dull greenish- 

 blue ; below paler bluish-grey ; bill leaden ; feet brown ; 

 FemaJe similar, but prooably duller. Habitat, S.E. 

 Brazil and Argentina. 



According to Hudson (Arg. Rep. 1, p. 39), this species 

 "appears in spring, in small flocks or parties of three 

 or four birds, in the woods on the shores of the Plata. 

 The male utters a series of peculiar squeaKng notes by 

 way of a song." 



It is a strange thing that Mr. Hudson, who praises 

 the stopper-screwing song of the Grey Cardinals, has 

 nothing but abuse for the songs of Tanagers ; yet in 

 my experience these brilliant birds, though thev utter 

 some harsh notes, are capable of uttering many tnat are 

 far purer and less excruciating than those of the 

 Cardinals. 



P.u.M Tanager (Tanagra pahnnnnn). 



Olive green ; tlie head paJer, the back daj-ker, as also 

 the edges of the wing-covei'ts ; wings and tail brownish- 

 black ; the flights and tail-feathers edged with dark 

 r.live ; wing-feathers below creamy-white towards base ; 

 bill dark horn-colour ; feet brown. Female smaller, but 

 similarly coloured. Habitat, S. Brazil and Bolivia north- 

 ward.s to Trinidad, Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, and 

 COsta Rica. 



Salmon (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1879. p. 600) observes that 

 " the nest is placed -in the fork of a shrub or low tree, 

 and formed of grass-stalks mixed with roots and fibres, 

 lined and ornamented on the outside with green moss." 

 "Eggs pale whitish, very thickly freckled with red- 

 brown spots ; axis 95. diam. 65." 



Whitely met with this species on Roraima at rn 

 elevation" of from 3,000 to 4,000 fwt (T/ic Ibis, 18C5, 

 p 210). 



In Mr. im Thurn's garden in British Guiana, Mr. 

 W L. Sclatcr notes T. palmarum as common {The IhU, 

 1887, p. 317). Mr. W. Goodfellow {The Ihix, 1901, 

 p. 467) in his account of a journe.v through Columbia 

 and Ecuador, says: — " Tliew birds .are tame in their 

 habit.';, and frequent the vicinity of the huts." 



Dr. E. A. Gorldi. descrihini: the birds of the C pirn 

 River {The l\,h, 1903, pp. 478, 479) says:— "In the 

 jjalm-trecs in front of the fazenda was a continuous 

 movement of glittering Tanagers {Tanngra palmartim) 

 and other Passerine birds." " Approaching the negroes' 

 cottages, I noted in the higher trees many Tanagrine 



